


Hyacinth

by softSnowdrop



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Complete, F/F, Happy Ending, POV First Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-05
Updated: 2017-09-29
Packaged: 2018-10-15 03:57:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10549686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softSnowdrop/pseuds/softSnowdrop
Summary: Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee fortune, just can't stay away from some small-town flowershop. It's always a comforting place for her; so near and dear to someone she's wanted to speak to again.Ruby Rose, however, can't seem to adventure out away from the damn place. It's her mother's, so, of course she feels some sort of obligation to it. But she's tired of the same-old-same-old, and she's just... Starting to feel lonely, even with her QPP by her side.The POV shifts between Ruby's and Weiss's.





	1. Chapter 1

 

                Why? Why was that god-damned flower shop always so comforting? Why do I always find myself sitting in the parking lot when I'm distressed, when I'm happy, when I just want to get away, for whatever reason, I always seem to find myself sitting here, staring at the door, contemplating to go inside.

 

                Two days ago, I had a boyfriend. We knew each other in high school, and he’s always been a lot of help and someone that I could turn to. I broke up with him, but that’s not the point.

 

                The point was that, here, yet again, I had found myself, staring at the glass window of the Summer Rose flower shop. It was a decently sized shop, judging by the outside frame. It even had a small greenhouse located on-property—but none of that really mattered to me.

 

                I just stared at the transparent, glass doorway, which had vines creeping down the sides, from the many years it had been standing. Summer Rose—back in her glory days, before she had passed, had apparently mentioned that there was some beauty, even in what others couldn't stand. I had never been inside the actual shop myself—yet I knew for a fact that her daughter still worked here. How could she not—this was her home, practically. Her life. Her mother raised her from a garden of flowers, in which somehow, a weed such as myself managed to spring into life, and drain from her own.

 

                Though, that didn’t really matter much, either.

 

                My heart sped up the moment that I heard the door chime, the moment that I saw it slowly swing open to reveal a girl with carrot-colored hair, and delicately pale skin. She waved and called to whoever was inside, cheerfully remarking: “Alrighty, I'll see you back home! Don't be too late—there's nutsos out here, after all!” After her departing message, she spun on her heels and began to skip merrily down the street, towards the neighboring house to the shop.

 

                She wasn't who I had hoped for. My heart sank, and my gaze dropped down so that I could stare at my hands—both of which had remained clenched into the satin fabric layers of my skirt. My feelings turned into nothing but misery—and the horrible unease that comes with loneliness really wasn’t helping me out.

 

                I wasn't entirely sure why—I couldn't still be feeling something for her _could_ I?

 

               _Could I?_

 

                Oh, but I _could_ , and I _did_.

 

                It was simultaneously a wonderful and a horrible feeling—this girl, this bright, incredibly loving girl, was just a few feet away from me, and I had treated her horribly when we were in high school.

                I had treated so many people poorly, and I didn’t deserve any of their kindness.

                But Ruby, she was always so full of unconditional love—even when she got impatient, even if she had a meltdown with others near—she was so kind and loving. So forgiving.

                And even with everything that I felt, I acted like she was beneath me.

 

                I just want to tell her that I love her, and then I can leave. That was my original plan; I’m not even sure if I can go through with it.

                The longer I sit here, the more I want to imagine a life with her.


	2. Chapter 2

                 “Penny, you can go ahead and leave,” I said, pushing the dark strands of hair out of my eyes. I always seemed to forget my hair’s length—I really needed a haircut, but here lately, something had been urging me to not bother, to just let it grow. “I’ll be home shortly, alright?”

                She looked over at me, crinkling her nose with what I would assume to be shock and confusion. “Are you sure?” She asked, tilting her head to the side. She seemed to clutch the flower pot closer to her, allowing dirt from the edge to smear onto her mint-green apron. “I mean, you’re always here late, and I always go home early, and–”  
She was going to ramble on and on if I didn’t stop her now. “Really!” I said as cheerfully as I could with a wide grin. “It’s totally fine—you probably wanna get back to working on your game, right? You’ve got stuff to do, too. I can hold out. There’s probably not gonna be anyone coming in this late, anyways.”  
“I'unno,” Penny speculated, tilting her head to the side, almost as if she were glancing out the front door. “There are some weirdos runnin’ around here.”

                She’s right—there’s been a car with tinted windows sitting outside for the past bit.

                I shrugged it off—it happens a lot, it’s a smaller town, so people use the nearest parking spot that they can. Honestly, though, I hadn’t seen any ‘weirdos,’ unless you counted myself, or Penny. Or even my sister and her girlfriend. Just the usual customers—some of them familiar faces, some of them not-so-familiar. Either way, I presented them with a kind face, and friendly atmosphere! Why wouldn’t I? It probably did rub off as weird to some people, though…

                Nonetheless, Penny and I discussed the matter for a brief moment before she sat her potted plant down on the nearest clear rack, and started to sweep the store. We had settled for a compromise—as we always do—that she would do some sort of chore before she officially left for the day.

 

                I waved her out, as I always do, with a smile and a glee-filled: “Be careful going home; have the door locked, okay?” She always did—she never left home. It was worrisome, since I would occasionally have to pull her outside for fresh air, as the only time that she left the building was when she would walk over to my mother’s flower shop with or without me.  
Though, I was never in any rush for her to tag along—she was tired after spending the nights working on her video game, and she was extremely dedicated to, not only that, but helping me with the shop. I wanted her to rest and get what she wanted done—not focus on me. I love her and want her to be happy, after all.

 

                I stayed at the counter, looking down through the no-longer cluttered isles; everything was clean of fallen plant debris, the floors were free of dirt for, most likely, the rest of the night.  
Even with the typical sense of peace that came with the sunset’s light filtering in through the windows, even with the soothing scent of flowers surrounding me, something had really been eating me alive for a while now, but I’m not sure why. It was a terrible feeling—it only started when I went through old photographs of my friends and I from high school—one specifically of me, my sister, Blake, and–

                My gaze shot up when the chimes of the front door rattled, and I instantly forced a smile to perturb my train of thoughts. “Hello!” I hummed, walking out from behind the counter and approaching them.

  
                Of course, as soon as I realized who it was, I halted in my tracks and relaxed ever so slightly—the wide grin that had curled at my lips loosening into a loving smile. “Yang!”  
                “There’s my little sister.” The other peeked out from behind one of the shelves that had obscured my view; she was quick to hook a rather-muscular arm around my neck to practically pull me down a bit–it wasn’t that she was shorter than me—there was just so much strength in her tug. “How’re ya doing? How’s our mom’s shop holding up?” She lightly rubbed her knuckles against the top of my head, earning a soft whine and a light struggle to get away from her vice grip.  
                “Everything is great! Penny just left!” I replied, only after poking her cheek playfully. “I wasn’t really expecting you to come in—are you gonna be staying in town for a while? Ooh, ooh, d'ya need a place to stay?”

                I tried to contain my excitement—I really did. But it was a bit difficult, especially since I had just started bouncing and shifting my weight between my feet. “If you do, you can totally stay–”  
She shook her head, which alleviated my exhilaration back to a pout. I could feel my facial features contorting in a pout—I knew that my brows had become furrowed with concern and disappointment. “Sorry, sis. Blake and I were just in town for a tournie, and I figured that we should pop by for a visit. Or at least I should.” She tilted her head left and right for a brief moment, as if suggesting Blake had been elsewhere. “She’s outside right now. Probably busy or somethin’,”

                Thinking about it, over the scent of the flowers, there was the light scent of sweat. It wasn’t too heavy, but it was still present. Barely noticeable, to be honest. “Huh, so like, you guys won or something?”  
                “Won,” Yang gave a quiet laugh, shaking her head and placing fists on the top of her hips. She lowered her head before looking up again with that same-old fire in her violet eyes, and the same-old cocky grin. A determination in her expression that I had grown to know and understand far too well over the years. “Yeah, you can say that.”

                I honestly had no idea what she meant by that, so I just shrugged it off—I pretended like I knew more than I actually did with a lot of things. I wasn’t really into her type of thing, and if I were to let it slip up that I had no idea what I was talking about, then she would definitely drag me along to show me what she meant. I’m not too into her sparring matches, or whatever that kind of thing is. I’m content with just my mother’s flower shop and a knife collection waiting for me at home.

                “Anyway, what’re you doing here?” I inquired, offering another small smile. “I mean, it’s not every day that you pop by for a visit.”  
                “Like I said, we were in town for a tournament.” She loosely shrugged her shoulders, her grin fading back into a light smile. “I figured that I would pop on by, give you a good, stern talking to.”  
                “Psh, for what?” I puffed, rolling my eyes at her. “Committing murder?”  
                “Oh shit, sis,” Yang’s expression became wrapped in a faux face of terror. “you hid the body well enough, right? Do I need to take care of it?”

                I couldn’t help but elbow her and giggle—shaking my head at her response. “Cut it out, Yang! God! You know me better than that.”  
                She smiled again and shook her head before pointing her thumb over her shoulder—presumably at the door. “Hey, I should actually probably get goin’. Blake and all. We’ve still gotta get a hotel room.”  
                “Yang, no,” I sniveled and lightly tugged at her oversized, grey jacket. “please, please, pleeeaaase stay with me an’ Penny!” I mustered up the best puppy-dog face I could, even whimpering and lightly pawing at her side. “Please?”  
                “Fine, fine,” She acted as though it was a bother—only to grin and ruffle my hair. “You gotta stay out of our room. Got it?”  
                I nodded before looking past her—of course, Blake was there, outside; she was talking to whoever sat in the car just outside of the shop. “Anyway,” I put my hands on her shoulders and pulled her into a tight hug. “You’re stayin’ with us, right?”

                She was always so warm, and her hugs were always the best. It was soothing, and while I had Penny, I had felt pretty lonely recently—I would even consider myself starved for physical contact.  
                “Yeah! I would rather board myself up in my sister’s house for a few days, rather than like, you know, stay in some weird hotel where I have no idea where anything is. Plus, there are always creeps there, you know?”  
                I gave a brisk nod. Some of those business men were kind of sketchy. “I’ve just got a few things to do here, but you can walk on over? I’ll call Penny and tell her you’re on the way, ‘kay?”  
                “Got it,” Yang rubbed the top of my head with her knuckles again, laughing quietly at my whiny reaction. “Hey—I love ya, sis.”

  
                She turned after giving me a final hug, a grin curling on her lips. “Oh, we’re gonna go ahead and order a pizza for you, Penny, and ourselves, okay?”  
                “Okay—wait, no pineapple, okay?”  
                She groaned, turning around to fully-face me while walking backwards; “Ruby Rose, I thought we raised you better than that!”

                I laughed quietly and waved her off, feeling empty again after the silence of the door chimes set in.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aha, sorry if it's been awhile since the last chapter was posted!! ;^^ College just let out for the summer, and I've been a little bit busy.
> 
> Anyway's, this chapter is from Weiss's point of view.

                “Heeey, Weiss!” Chimed in the smooth-talking voice of an old friend. She had her hand against the top of my car, and had apparently been leaning a bit through the lowered window while I had mentally cataloged my thoughts and emotions.

  
                God, I thought that part of my life was over.

  
                Then again, I had become even more isolated after high school ended, and my life under the family company began.

  
                "Y'know, this is my sister's flower shop, right?” She asked; I knew this tone in her voice, it was awkward, uncomfortable—she had expected an answer.  
                I barely nodded. What was I supposed to say? That I’ve been waiting out here all day to confess my love?  
                She probably had a life now. Ruby probably had some sort of an attractive partner. She was probably living her life, happy and carefree, just like I had known her back during high school—something she could never really seem to let drop, even right after a meltdown.

  
                The way she would greet us all in the cafeteria every morning—her eyes bright and alive, despite even her sister’s appearing dead from the lack of energy so early-on; the way she would skip into the class and lean over my desk to talk to me—her smiling sweet and warm, her hugs—so comforting, tight, and safe--  
                “Don't touch me,” I spoke up as Yang reached through my rolled-down window to place a hand on my shoulder. I had shied away from her touch, leaning over towards my passenger seat.

  
                It didn’t surprise me that she seemed hurt, if not completely disappointed by my harsh response. I hadn't intended for it to come out that way, but I guess that it had.                 “I'm sorry, I guess.” I said, lowering my gaze, as well as my voice. “I just didn't want you to touch me, not right now.”  
                “I understand, hey, no sweat, okay?”

  
                _This isn’t like old times,_ I wanted to say. I bit my tongue, however.

  
                “Say, has your scar become more... Y'know, noticeable...?” She tilted her head to look into the car more—specifically at my left eye. I didn’t say anything at first; I was too put-off by the question, and had immediately turned my face away.

  
                Of all the things she could point out—it was that.  
                If I didn’t know any better, I would say she hasn’t changed since high school—she still didn’t have much of a filter, but I’m sure she _has_ changed.

  
                Being caught off-guard left me silent, and in my moment of silence, Yang had reached out to touch my cheek as softly as she could—it wasn’t a forceful gesture to try and turn my face towards her—it was just a soft, careful caress to my cheek.  
                I guess the fact that I was hurt by her question was clear, and she wanted to comfort me the only way that she remembered how. What a shame that it didn’t help me at all, not any more, at least.

  
                Though her touch was soft and I was stressed, I noticed something… Different about her hands. They felt rougher, more calloused than they did in high school—she was known to fight then, but it only raised questions to me about what she could be up to these days.  
                It felt like such a stark difference from how I remembered Ruby’s hands.

                Ruby's hands were always so soft, the last I could recall.

                Ruby's hands always pushed the strands of white out of my eyes. She always commented that every inch of me was perfect—right down to what I perceived as visual imperfections.

                When I reached back out and placed a hand over the one left on my cheek, I realized one thing that should have been obvious to me before: this wasn’t Ruby’s hand. As much as I wanted it to be, it wasn’t.

  
                She was shocked, but only removing her hand after I jerked my own hand back. If anything, when the shock faded, she seemed more concerned than anything else.

                I started to speak up, to reassure her that I wasn’t starved for touch, but then another figure approached to stand beside her. She peered into the car, her harsh gaze familiar to me, though she seemed to acknowledge me as a stranger until--

                “Oh. Weiss?” Her dark hand reached up to touch the top of my car—she leaned forward for a bit, clearly trying to inspect my face—I haven’t changed much at all, but it has been a long time since she’s seen me.  
                It was silent for a few moments—but instead of Yang, who always broke the silence in the past, Blake had spoken up.  
                “It's been awhile.”  
                “I know.” I muttered, now leaning forward to rest my head against the steering wheel of my car. I didn't want to make eye contact—I didn't want to see her face. I knew that I looked pitiful to the both of them, just sitting here, staring out into the door to the shop.

  
                They _had_ to have known what was up.

  
                “You miss her, don't you?” And she did. Blake wasn't sugar-coating it, either. At least Yang was trying to make small talk before shoving that fact into my face.  
                I hesitated. “Yeah, I miss her.”  
                I closed my eyes tightly, rubbing my forehead against the light ridging of the steering wheel. I had started to lace my arms between the gaps—though I was surprised as to how they managed to curl and fit before winding themselves together to come over my head. “I _loved_ her.” Was all I could whisper—barely whisper, at that, after I was greeted by silence.

  
                I could hear Yang huff and murmur to Blake: “I'm gonna go talk to my sis. I haven't seen her in a while, and I wanna get 'er while she's free.”

                I actually wasn’t sure if I ticked her off, or if she just genuinely wanted to go talk to Ruby, now that the real question had been answered.

 

                I barely lifted my head and looked over at Blake, who was now leaning on the outside of my car, silent and stoic. She seemed slightly irritated by my behavior, or at least that's what I would assume. “Blake?”  
                “Yeah?” She shifted her eyes back over to look at me. They were the same golden eyes as before. They were piercing—but they weren't dangerous. Or at least they weren't threatening to me.  
                Despite everything we had been through together in high school, and the fact that we ended up being decent friends, I still felt the need to apologize to her.

                “I'm sorry.” I struggled and did my best to maintain eye contact; I wanted her to know that I was dead serious—even more serious than I had been in the past—about an apology.

                “Right. You’ve already said that. Remember? Forever ago, our junior year?”  
                “I do—but I…” It felt like pure cotton had filled my mouth. “I just wanted to say it again.” I tried my best to force the words out, but they came out softer than before.  
               

                “Right. And I already accepted your apology.” She offered a hint of a smile in my direction; despite everything feeling awkward, tense, and just entirely uncomfortable, I could tell that was genuine.

 

                While we were close—I wasn’t the closest to her—but I still knew the difference between her faking a smile and her being genuine.

 

                Silence fell over the two of us again, and our relationship shifted from decent acquaintances to strangers again.

               

                “Weiss,” Blake spoke again, this time a quiet sigh accompanying her approach. “Yang probably won't be in there much longer. She's probably just going to be asking Ruby if we can stay at her place.”  
                I didn’t know what to say. What could I say, there was no room for a response from me left in that statement. All I could do was nod-- _that should be enough to let her know that I'm listening, right?_

  
                “We're going to be talking to you. _A lot_.”  
                I didn't say a word about that. I knew what they were going to talk to me about—I didn't even have to inquire as to what it was. She and I both knew the answer—and of course, Yang did, as well. Why else would she have approached me?  
                It felt like a dream when I looked up and forward at the shop door, only to see Yang back her way out of the shop, waving while she allowed her backside to push the door open. “Bye! See you in a bit, sis!” I heard her call into the building with her ever-burning enthusiasm. Blake was quick to bid me a farewell nod—Yang followed after her, passing my car with a wave and a “See ya soon, Ice Queen!” before she carried on down the street.

 

                Left alone again, I sat there in silence, just staring straight ahead. I was almost compelled to go ahead and leave the car, to go ahead and walk into the shop and confess _everything_.  
                The fact that I had just been sitting outside her shop and just staring at the window, the fact that I had loved her back in school, the fact that she had always meant the world and so much more to me—I wanted to desperately just throw my arms around her and tell her three simple words: “I love you.”  
                But I have more self-control than that. I didn’t want to impose on her, I didn’t want to risk dragging her down.

  
                Instead, I turned the keys in the ignition of my car, and I slowly made my way to the nearest motel. Every red stoplight reminded me of her, every time the setting sun filtered in through my window, I remembered her gentle touches on my arms, shoulders, face, hands. Everything reminded me of her in this moment.  
I had to tell her. Soon. Tomorrow, the next day, whenever I could work up the courage. Today just didn’t feel right—she was probably excited about seeing her sister.

                I quickly booked a room and made my way to it; I threw my bag into the chair in the corner of the room, and I then sank into the bed--I'm pretty sure that I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Penny gets some soft cuddles with her queerplatonic partner, and also there's a nice little chat between Yang and Ruby.

                It had been a pretty long day—the days had all felt the same here recently; really long, really slow. I'm not really sure why they had, either. It just happened every so often—and occasionally, on some of those especially longer days, I would see this white car sitting outside the shop window. The shield was tinted, so I could never make out the face.

                It would always arrive about ten minutes before closing time, except for today—today, it had been here since about ten in the morning. I'm not really even sure why they arrived so early—I'm never even sure of what they want or anything! Which sounds really bad, but I never get a hostile or bad vibe from them.  
It kind of reminds me of back during high school; sometimes someone in our friend group would watch me with this really distant look in her eyes… Someone I really admired and cherished.

  
                Thinking about that now wouldn’t help me, or make me feel any better, though, so I pushed it into the back of my mind and kept working.

                I ended up staying to work overtime—not that it had to be done, but I just wanted to spend a little bit more time snipping excess petals from some of the flowers, or pruning them, so that they would look a little bit better in a bouquet. Plus, it gave me a little extra treat—collecting spare petals off of roses meant that I could soak in a nice bath later!

 

                It was only seven minutes after closing when I noticed that the white car left—I was hesitant to step outside to watch them go, but I could see the driver rolling up their window as they pulled out. I hadn’t seen white hair in years… But it’s gotta be common, right? People love that aesthetic.

                It definitely did bring back memories, though. Feelings, too. A lot of them—regret, happiness, romantic attachm—no, c’mon, don’t get all hung up on a stranger. I scolded myself. Especially one that just. Sits outside of your shop all day. That’s kinda weird.

               

                It took a few minutes to process that they had actually left—which let me get one more rosebud snipped, and then let me transfer the money to the safe without even really thinking about going home yet—business had been slow lately, but it wasn’t damaging us too badly.  
But of course, after that, I was left in the silence of the shop, and the emptiness of the parking lot. Which rubbed me especially wrong today. I packed my purse up—wallet and all—and made my way home.

 

 

                “ I’m home!” I always said whenever I walked through the front door—almost every time, I had been greeted with Penny’s presence sitting on the couch, playing a game, working on her laptop, or something; today was absolutely no exception.

                She swayed her head back and forth to the song coming out of her handheld, and every so often, I could detect a change in her expression. I smiled when I recognized her expressions—she had just gotten attacked, and it phased her—but it never broke her focus.

                Whenever I sat next to her and peeked over her shoulder, she gasped and immediately lit up with excitement and love.

                She was quick to put her game down—still open—on the coffee table and clap her hands a few times in front of her chest—something she did whenever she was excited. “Oh, oh, Ruby!” She chirped excitedly; I knew that glint in her eyes, too. She was definitely stoked about something.

                “Hum?” I couldn’t help but smile; the times that she got a little bit of an energy rush and would burst with happiness or excitement always made my day.

                “Your sister is here! She and Blake are up in the spare room—erm, Yang's old room.” She gently patted at my knees before whining and stretching her arms out towards me—of course, this meant that she wanted to lie on top of me.

                I obliged, leveling my legs out and straightening them on the couch. I patted at my stomach while I thought of my response, “Oh, yeah! She dropped by the shop after you left! The two of them are gonna be staying with us for a few—Oof—days, alright?” She had made herself comfortable, lying down on top of me. She kept her arms around my neck, and her head resting against my shoulder.

                She was always cuddly (or at least she was towards me; she loved hugs from other people, but she never felt quite as comfortable being this intimate with them), but it never meant anything romantic. It was really, really nice, to be honest.

                It was always nice after longer, drearier days. When nothing really lit up my life. She was comforting and warm, safe and loving. She was honestly the best queerplatonic partner anyone could ever ask for.

 

                “Oh, oh, I hope you don't mind! I ordered a pizza, since we have guests and stuff.” She paused; I stayed quiet, waiting for her to continue. “Since, y’know, neither of us probably wanna cook or anything.”

                “Psh, that’s fine! Thanks, actually. I’m kinda really worn down today.” I started to lightly stroke her hair before working the bow out of it; she must not have bothered to change after she got back home, since she was still wearing everything but her shoes and her socks.

                She barely shrugged her shoulders; she was too relaxed and content to make any grander motion, it seemed. “Uhm, the guy said about thirty minutes. Which, I ordered it right before you came in. Literally, maybe two minutes before, so you had incredible timing, Ruby!”

                I gave a small nod, and allowed her to retrieve her game from the coffee table. Of course, she still remained snuggled up to me, even while playing her video game.

 

                It was normal for us; usually I would be reading, or I would just be nodding off or daydreaming while she did this.

                Like for example, right now, all I could think about was who was in that car. There was no way that it was who I thought it was—who I had hoped it was. Weiss Schnee? Psh, what would she be doing in a small town like this. She finally got away from it and moved to the city with her father and brother.

                Though, I had always heard a rumor that her older sister still lived her… I’m not sure why she would want to, though. There wasn’t really anything noteworthy in this town. Why would she be sitting outside of my flower shop, though?

 

                It was just someone else with white hair. That’s it, that’s all it would ever be.

 

                After a few minutes of sitting in silent comfort with Penny, Yang had trotted downstairs, only to plop down on the other end of the couch. She offered a wide grin, and a quiet 'Aww,' towards Penny's ease. Penny had tensed at the gesture, but quickly relaxed again when I started to stroke her hair, reassuring her that she was safe.

                “Heyya, lil' sis.” She hummed happily. She pulled her right leg close to her chest, and curled her other leg up in the gap left between the back of her knee. “How was the shop? I mean, it's almost like you were right behind us coming back!”

                I smiled again, this time resting my cheek against the top of Penny's head. “The shop was great today—like, it was a really good day! We had plenty of customers, as always!”

                It was a lie. It was a slower day; it was still plenty to give us a decent income, but it still wasn’t ideal.

 

                Yang gave a quick nod before seeming to steal a wary glance at Penny. She remained silent for a moment, her hand finding the bottom of her pajama's left leg, and beginning to tug at the fabric. “That's great,” She seemed distracted suddenly. “Hey, Ruby. Mind if we talk in private?”

                She was quick to correct herself—I knew she didn’t want to accidentally insult Penny. “Oh, uh, nothing bad about Penny, or anything. Just, y’know. It’s family stuff.”  
I puffed my cheeks out, and I quickly shook my head. I didn't want to move—Penny was happy and snug. Yang seemed displeased—her eyes looking between me and Penny.

 

                I really didn't want to move. Especially not for a heavier talk.

 

                “Ruby, we're gonna go talk upstairs, in your room, now.”

                Her tone reminded me of our dad’s—whenever he would grow impatient and scold one or both of us. She had really kind of turned out like him.

 

                I gently shook Penny's shoulder, snapping her from her hyperfocus-state. “Penny?” I said, lowering my voice, but being sure to keep it gentle and friendly. “I gotta go talk to Yang, okay?”

                She nodded in response, and slid off of me, now resting on the center cushion of the couch. Yang had stood up, and had started to make her way upstairs, with me following quickly (of course, I had given Penny a hug before I took my time to walk after her).

 

                But every anxiety that formed in my head didn’t make sense, and it only led to the horrible question: _What did I do this time?_

 

                The upstairs really wasn’t that big, but at the pace I was going it seemed to stretch on and on endlessly. Yang held the door open for me, and then closed the it after I had finally gotten into my own room. I was the first to flop onto my bed, faceplanting into the nice, soft fabric and letting my legs just dangle off of them.

                She soon followed suit, but instead of face planting, she laid on her side, propping her head up with her hand.

 

                “Doesn't this remind you of when we were kids?” She asked after a moment, rolling over onto her back and grinning. “Y’know, we never really did get those bunkbeds we wanted, bummer, right?” She laughed. “I’m kinda surprised that you and Penny don’t have them.”

                “Oh, Penny stays up late sometimes? She was worried about bothering me, so I fixed up mom’s old room to give to her.” I smiled over in her direction; I know it was a sheepish smile, and I know my response seemed forced, but I didn’t know what to do or say—I know this wasn’t what she wanted to talk about. “She’s been working on making a video game, y’know? Sometimes she’ll just kinda… Accidentally work on it for hours on end.”

                “Oho, so she’s making games? That’s actually really cool. I always expected her to go into somethin’ like that.” Yang had rolled back over onto her side, once again propping her head up with her arm and watching me with a pretty concerned look. “Anyway, you remember, oh, what was her name?” She paused, a quiet ‘hm’ catching behind her pursed lips.

                “You remember Weiss Schnee?”

 

                My heart stopped at the name, and it felt like all of the breath I had taken in had left me. A lump began to swell in my throat, and I blinked away any tears, or at the least I tried to—oh God, I hope that my sister didn't notice them. My eyes wandered to the lower-left—where I saw the alpaca doll that I had kept at the edge of my bed. I reached for it, and I pulled it close to my chest. “Weiss?” My voice cracked when I spoke. “Yeah, I remember her.”

                She had to have noticed that. Had to have. How did she know what I was thinking about this entire time…?

 

                “Whatever happened to her?” Yang put an arm around me, and pulled me into a half side-hug. She knew how to comfort me—but this just wasn’t going to help much right now. Almost everything reminded me of Weiss right now.

                “I'unno. She just left, and never really like, tried to talk to me or anything.”

 

                I could feel my chest constricting, and I could swear that everyone in the house could hear my heart beating. I didn't want Yang to know that the topic upset me. She couldn't know. She wasn't allowed to know. I didn’t want her to blame Weiss for me being upset, it was just me clinging to old attachments. It was just me not moving on.

                “She just up and left you, huh? Never came back?”

 

                I shook my head and muttered a 'No.' I was almost sure that Weiss despised me by this point in time, anyway.

                “You're kidding, you've gotta be kidding. She was absolutely crazy for you.”

                “Just because she was crazy doesn't mean that she still is.” I could only mumble a response. It broke my heart whenever she just left without a warning. I knew she was leaving, but I had thought that I would get to see her the last day of school, at least.

 

                I looked to my lower-left—hoping that she would accept my response and remain defeated. It was the truth—Weiss didn't care. She didn't even try to contact me after she left. I hadn't seen her face anywhere, her name, her phone number... Well, I did actually see her name. I saw it quite frequently—though, it was mainly her last name. Some of the people that came in for flowers, they would request that the jewels decorating the fabric wrapping of the paper on the bouquets were from the Schnee Jewelers Company.

               

                Of course, my hopes were diminished by Yang puffing her cheeks out and offering a slightly-playful glare. “Seriously? You're gonna act like that?”

                I shrugged my shoulders in response, moving the alpaca plush to sit on my stomach. “Act like what? I’m not acting like anything.”

                “Ruby, c’mon. I know it’s been awhile, but there’s no way you’re all doom-and-gloom edgelord now.”

                “I mean, really, Yang…” It was just realistic to think that. It was only a quick romantic fling in highschool, and if I didn’t move past my feelings, then it would just hurt more and more.

                “You’re acting like an edgelord.” Yang purred, lightly flicking my nose. “C’mon, I know you’re always more hopeful than this.”

 

                My initial response at her gesture was to whine—and playing that part of the obnoxious little sister, that’s exactly what I would do.

                She pursed her lips at my droning, and then rolled over so that her back was facing me. “C’mon, Ruby. Laaame.”

                “Jeeerk.”

                We stayed silent for what felt like forever—I just let my thoughts wander during this period of time. Eventually, I got sick of staring at the dull, white ceiling, and just shut my eyes.

                _Why_ would she ask me about Weiss? Why would she even bring that old name up? Had she spoken with Weiss, or had she seen Weiss? If she had, did Weiss even say anything? Did Weiss say anything about me? Why would she; I was just the thorn in her side, her cloudy day during a beach vacation, why did I even matter anymore? She was done with everything that she had involved herself with back in highschool.

                It didn’t bother me. It didn’t bother me at all that Weiss would be a part of my life again. I told Yang, but she only told me that I’m “forgetting the first week after Weiss left”.

 

                I really did forget, but no wonder. _Of course_ I would have been upset and hurt after losing a friend that I had for several years, someone that I had dated, even. Who wouldn’t be hurt? But I couldn’t just hang on to those feelings forever. I wanted to move past her.

                But sometimes I still imagined what life would have been like if we had stayed together. Would we both wear dresses, would I be the one making the flower arrangements? Would it be a red-white themed event? Would it—

 

                We only talked about marriage once. And that was how we didn’t like something that had happened in our families. She had mentioned how controlling her dad was over her mom, and then I had mentioned how my dad remarried Yang’s mom, even after she had just straight-up left us—even though I was too young to remember that.

                We both had said that we would never end up in a shitty marriage. That was it. That’s all we ever talked about marriage.

                But here lately, I’ve really wanted that. With her, specifically. I couldn’t just tell Yang that, though. She would laugh, or tell me that I really did need to move on.

 

                “Do you think you’ll ever talk to her again?” She broke the new silence.

                “Why?”

                “I dunno. I just feel like you’re gonna have a visitor soon. Geez, I hope so. It’s shitty to see my baby sister all mope-y whenever I just wanna reminisce about highschool.” She offered a playful grin. “If you don’t get company soon, then I guess I’ll just have to pay someone else a visit.”

 

                I had a vague idea of what she was implying with the first part of that—that she had spoken to Weiss recently. That she had interacted with her in some form or fashion.

 

                But that was a silly thought. It was just me being too hopeful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was actually a lot of Penny's background information in this! Aha, though, I feel like I'll save that for another story.
> 
> I'm starting to think that I'll make another story under the same AU--following specifically Penny and Ruby, and how they met...


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weiss, for once in her life, stops being a little bitch and sucks it up. Go get her, Weiss.

                Whatever the reason was, I sat outside the flower shop. Whatever the reason was, this time, I was not sitting in my car, I wasn’t expecting or waiting for anyone to show up—it was before business hours, and the grass next to the shop was still dripping with a light dew.

                I was just across the street, sunglasses on my face to avoid the light, my sundress doing a poor job of keeping me cozy in the chilly, early morning. Everything seemed still until a familiar face had moved towards the front door of the little shop.

                Ruby always got here early. Every morning, she was always the first one to arrive, shortly followed by the freckled girl.

                I took a second and thought about leaving—and her presence wasn’t the main motivator. I had been ignoring the quiet rumbling in my stomach for the past twenty minutes—I didn’t get breakfast before I left for the morning.

                Something within me said, “stick around, maybe you’ll be able to fess up.” However, a different counterargument—the weakness in my legs as I stood and started to walk towards the shop—told me that maybe it wasn’t the best time.

                The wobbliness wasn’t from the fact that I skipped breakfast, instead, it seemed like it was from every little anxiety plaguing me right now. My palms, though clutching the base of my dress, were covered in sweat, and I could feel my heart pounding in my throat; my stomach flipped itself repeatedly, but there was nothing I could do to stop it.

                When I made it to the front door, I hesitated to take my hands from my dress—it felt like they were glued there, in the first place.

                But I managed it, and slowly, carefully pushed the door open, only to be greeted with noisy, ringing chimes above my head.

                Now the entire country knew that I was here, thanks, design flaws.

                Even if it wasn’t a flaw to Ruby, this was the last thing that I wanted. My presence announced before I wanted it to be.

                Especially if I decided to turn back and push this back for another day—Yang had told me that if I disappointed or hurt Ruby, she would personally come and break every bone in my body. Sure, that was a threat and a half, but the real threat was actually hurting Ruby.

                And hearing those chimes but seeing nobody? What a bitch that would be.

 

                I heard her call out—from the other end of the store, beyond the rows of plants. “Hang on, I’ll be right with you! We aren’t exactly open, yet, though… It’s fine! Don’t worry about that, though!”

                She didn’t sound drowsy at all; I’m not sure how she didn’t, since it was literally seven in the morning. I didn’t say anything, but instead, I walked to the front of the store, where I knew that I would have to force myself to wait patiently to see her face again.

                I slid forward a leaning on the counter with my elbows to keep my head down—I was almost sure that I was going to collapse at this point. Everything felt heavy, and I felt weak. My foot bounced up and down as I tried to restrain my impatience and anxiety.

                It only got worse when I heard quiet footsteps approach.

                “Hey, what can I—“ She stopped and blinked when I raised my head.

                I wish I could pinpoint what exactly she was feeling by the look on her face, but I really, really couldn’t. Maybe she was upset, maybe she was happy. Either way, I knew one thing that crossed her face, and that was surprise.

                “Weiss? Hey—wait, what are you doing here? Wait, when did you even get back in town, I didn’t know you were here? Have you been talking to Yang—“ A big smile formed on her face. “I mean, I guess it doesn’t matter, I’m just glad to see you again!”

                I felt relieved at those words— _I’m just glad to see you again._ She was glad to see _me_.

                “I’m not here for Yang,” I slowly stood up straight; I felt my knee try to give out when I did so, and my jerky motion to correct myself made Ruby gasp. “I’m just… Ruby. There’s a lot that I want to talk about. Later, though, okay? You’ve got work.”

                “Wait, are you okay? You don’t seem like you can walk.”

                “I’m fine,” She hadn’t changed a bit. She still worried about other people pretty easily, it seemed. “I just want us to sit down and talk for a bit. I’m supposed to meet Yang for lunch, but… Maybe we can go and get dinner?”

                She lit up—her eyes sparkled, and her small, worried smile turned into a friendly grin—and as just as she used to, she was quick to take both of my hands in her own and bounce ever-so slightly. “Yes! Weiss—I’m so happy you asked, we have so much to catch up on! Oh, have you meet Penny? She’s not here yet, but if you wanna stop in later today, and wait for me to get done, I would love for you to meet her!”

                I wanted to ask right then and there—“is she your girlfriend?” but I knew that wouldn’t be right. That would give her the worst impression possible. And I didn’t want to push her away, especially not after she immediately accepted me with open arms. “I haven’t met her, I’ve seen her, though.”

                “Wait, are you the one that’s been lurking outside the window?” She squinted, her grin turning mischievous. “Weiss! You know you don’t have to be shy or anything with me, I love you!”

                I felt my face burn at those words— _I love you._ It took every ounce of willpower not to lean forward and kiss her right then and there, so instead I gave her hands a little squeeze—which she returned—and looked away. She probably meant just as a friend, anyway, so what did it matter?

                “Right,” I murmured before regaining my composure and looking back at her face—she was still as bright as she had been moments ago, those silver eyes beaming with love and life. “I’ll come and pick you up, then?”

                “Really?? Ooh, are you gonna drive us?” She squeaked when I nodded. “I haven’t been for a ride with you since highschool, I can’t wait to go out with you.”

                I forced a smile, one that tried to mask every insecurity that I had, and squeezed her hands again—she returned the gentle squeeze once again.

                “I can’t wait, either. It’s a date, then?”

 

                When she nodded so enthusiastically and literally jumped to sit on the counter to throw her arms around my neck, I couldn’t help but smile and wonder if she could feel my jitteriness.

                It was hesitant, but I returned her hug. She always smelled like roses and felt so warm, so it put me at ease.

                “Oh, but hey, is it okay if like, we go back to my place before we go out? I don’t wanna wear—“ She pulled away from the hug, gesturing at her casual clothes and red apron. “Y’know, I don’t wanna wear this. It looks bad, especially if we’re gonna be going somewhere nice.”

                “Don’t you hate dressing up?”

                “Well, yeah, but—“

                “We can go somewhere that doesn’t have a restrictive dress code. Don’t worry, okay?” I tried to reassure her the best I could, but she only whined at me before hugging me again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Weiss finally sucked it up and actually said something. I'm glad to finally get THAT out there. I was getting impatient with myself--so impatient that I ended up scrapping a conversation between Penny and Weiss.
> 
> One that would've lagged poor Weiss's mess out even more.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A self-indulgent chapter in which Ruby and Penny get some interaction time. Bc I love QPP relationships, and I love my QPP.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, while writing this, I got super duper distracted by a mug that I have. I didn't realize it before, but one of the characters on it is faded / "invisible" whenever it's cold, but then she appears when it's warm??? Like??? My ADHD made me hyperfixate on that for a solid hour??? It's so cool????

               “Yang—Yang, you don’t get it, she asked me on a date!” I squealed as quietly as I could over the phone.

                “Oh, no,” I could hear her laughing on the other end of the line. “Ruby, I get it. Trust me, I do. She’s had it bad for you all of these years.”

                “She has not! Yang, she thought I was annoying, and that I just got in the way.”

                “Hear that, Blake?” My sister laughed again. “Weiss never wanted to kiss Ruby’s—“ Her voice shifted. It was one that she always used to mock Weiss when we were younger. “ _Dumb, annoying face_.”

                “You know, you really shouldn’t put words in Weiss’s mouth.”

                I heard a quiet ‘oomph’ from Yang as Blake spoke. “Hey! Don’t throw a pillow at me—and you _know_ that Weiss put those words in her own damn mouth when we talked the other day!”

                “But Ruby doesn’t—“

                “Um, guys, I’m still—I’m still here.” I spoke softly, trying to remind them of my presence. The whole thing had been really awkward for me, anyway, so god, I hope they didn’t forget me.

                “Oh, shit, sorry, sis.” Yang spoke up again, stifling a laugh. “Seriously, though. Trust me when I say that she’s crazy for you.”

                “I don’t think that’s the case—I was pretty sure she hated me until now, I mean…”

                Nothing but doubt and guilt piled onto me; the excitement I felt still existed, but was overwhelmed by the sheer sense of worry that grew and grew. “I’m just… Really happy to see her again, anyway. Y’know?”

                “Ruby, everything’s gonna be perfectly fine, okay? Just relax. Like I said—“

                “She’s crazy for you, she’s had it bad for me, I know, I get it. But I just don’t believe it.”

                “Ruby. Ruby, listen to me, listen to your big sister when I say that I know. I’ve talked to her, I can see it on her face. I know.”

 

                Hours that felt endless passed by—every interaction felt like it took a year, and I was struggling to keep my eyes off of the clock. Every time that the little chimes on the door rang, and the person coming in wasn’t Weiss, my heart sank just a little bit.

                Occasionally, Penny would notice, and once the customer left, would ask: “Ruby? Are you okay?”, and I would just groan and flop my face down onto the table, offering the explanation of how I just couldn’t wait to see Weiss again.

 

                Things kept going like that for a few minutes—that is, until Weiss actually walked in. I nearly leapt over the counter, overtaken by excitement—but thankfully, Penny was there, and holding my hand underneath it. She smiled as I wriggled in-place and bounced, offering a quiet “Ruby, I’m so happy for you.” As Weiss walked up to the counter.

                “Where can I wait?” She asked, smiling a bit; she was still wearing the same white-light blue gradient sundress that she had worn earlier, except she had finally let her hair down—she kept it tossed over her shoulder, though.

                “Oh! There’s a small room in the back—it’s got a lil’ table and stuff, and you can use the coffeemaker if you wanna.” I used my thumb to point back behind me over my shoulder, towards the archway leading to the backroom. “Thattaway.”

                “Thanks, Ruby.” She walked around the counter and stopped next to me for a few seconds—almost like she wanted to say something—even if I’m not entirely sure what—before looking away.

                Her face had turned red. “Hey—are you okay?” I asked quietly turning to face her more directly. “Like, seriously, do you feel okay?”

                “Oh, I—I’m fine. Don’t worry about it?”

                “Psh, alright.” I gave her a quick hug—one she was quick to return—and let her go on to the back.

                It phased me, though. Earlier, she seemed so scared to hug me, but this time, she just… Didn’t seem to wanna let go. She held me so tightly, and that was something I hadn’t gotten from her in literal years.

                “Ruby?” Penny spoke up as soon as we were left alone. “Is she… Your girlfriend?”  
                “Psh, what, no!” I forced a smile. _God, I want her to be my girlfriend._ I thought to myself. “Y’know, just someone I haven’t seen in a few years, just going out for a dinner, it’s nothing?”

                “Ruby, I know that look on your face.” She tilted her head, lowering her voice. “Ask her to be your girlfriend later tonight.”

                I felt fire run to my face; she knew me _way_ too well.

                “Ruby? You can leave early, if you would like to.”

                I hesitantly shook my head—I couldn’t leave her hear alone. “No—no, c’mon, Penny, I can’t just leave you here.”

                “But you let me leave early all the time?” She squinted, bringing her face forward and closer to mine. “Ruby, even if it’s just this one time, please leave early. You are just so excited about spending time with her right now! I don’t want you to have to wait any longer.”

                I whined quietly at her, before pulling her into a super tight hug and kissing her cheeks and forehead. “Penny, are you sure though? I mean—really, what if it gets super busy, or what if you get overwhelmed?”

                “I’ll be one-hundred-percent a-okay, Ruby!” She gave me a reassuring nod and smile—her dimples currently present on her face. “Please just trust me.”

                “Well… If you say so,” I hesitated to agree—I didn’t want her to overwork herself or anything. “But—wait, wait, please just go ahead and lock up if you get too tired or anything, okay? Don’t feel bad about doing it, just take care of yourself and do it, ‘kay?”

                “I promise, Ruby.” She gave me an even tighter hug before squishing my cheeks between her hands. “Just go ahead and have a wonderful dinner.”

                “Psh, no worries. I love ya, Penny.”

                “I love you, too!”


	7. Chapter 7

     She was the sun; that's all there was to it. Everything about her was so warm and gentle, so comforting and soft and incredible--every time she would touch my arm or my hand to lead me somewhere, I felt nothing but love radiating from her fingertips. Every time her hand found itself on my shoulder or back, I felt nothing but the care and love she had felt for the world.

 

     Honestly, I thought we would just be going out to a later lunch, but no, it didn't just end there. We found ourselves at an aquarium, under the dim, blue glow of the circular-tank hallways. Everything about her was so perfect--the way her eyes would light up when she saw an interesting creature swish nearby or overhead--especially the sharks, she seemed to have quite the passion for those, really--to the way she would delicately rest her fingers on the glass (despite the casually-overlooked "Do Not Touch" sign) as she looked deeper into the waters, scouting for more interesting and unique life.

     I thought it would end there. I hoped and prayed it wouldn’t, every fiber of my being screaming at me to suggest some place new—but watching her light up at every new exhibit, I couldn’t even begin to think of something else.

     I hadn’t been this happy in so, so long. I hadn’t been relaxed or at-ease in so long, and this was everything that I needed to calm down and just breathe.

     “Hey, Weiss! Are you paying attention?” Ruby piped up, giving my arm a gentle squeeze—her other hand, still touching a thick layer of glass. I wouldn’t say blue was her color, but there was no way that I was going to complain when she smiled like that, her face lit up by the blue backlight of the tank. “Look at the size of this thing! Isn’t it awesome?”

     I nodded—hesitant to look away from her face, but I didn’t want to miss out on whatever had her so awestruck. It was a massive moray eel—it didn’t seem too active, but it sure as hell had captivated my girl—

     Friend. My friend. I could ask her about _that_ later.

     Watching her go through the aquarium was more than enough for now. Especially the times that she would take my hands and pull me towards something—she seemed to favor the sharks and stingray viewports, though.

 

     I really didn’t want the day to end. Sure, it was starting to get late—but the sun was only beginning to set, and she didn’t seem to want to, either. The tight grip she kept on my hand as we walked back to the car told me that much.

     But staring at her face in the glow of the setting sun was more than enough to take my breath away. It was enough to stop my thoughts, enough for me to get lost in the way her silver eyes reflected a golden hue, enough—

     “Hey, Weiss?” She spoke quietly, but excitement raising in her voice. “I kinda don’t want this date to end. Can we maybe do something else? We don’t have to, but there’s a flower garden around here—and an arcade!”

     Her gaze drifted down to my feet—specifically my heels. They weren’t really suitable for walking. “You probably can’t walk far, but do you wanna go? We can just… Sit on a bench, maybe? Ooh! I can even make you a flower crown, if you wanted!”

     I couldn’t help it, my smile widened as soon as she started speaking, and the minute she called our outing a date? I felt my heart skip a beat.

     I didn’t hesitate agreeing, I gave her an “Absolutely,” and tugged her along to the car—I was sure to put some more pep in my step, I didn’t want her to think that my heels were going to get in the way of a date with her. They wouldn’t, I would walk _barefoot_ if I had to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing dates... Isn't really a strong-suit of mine. So, it's something that I'm gonna have to work on for future stories involving date scenes.


	8. Chapter 8

                She said yes—she genuinely, enthusiastically, said she wanted to continue the date with me. While she was driving, she even said it was a great idea to go to a flower garden, and to an arcade—and that’s kinda the last thing I ever expected to hear out of her.

                But she seemed so, so happy to just go there with me. And even if we were just sitting on a blanket laid out for visitors, her leaning against me while I wove flowers into a small crown for her, it was so amazing and sweet. Even if we didn’t talk much right now, it was perfect.

                We were familiar with each other again, and there was no awkward, uncomfortable babbling and me stumbling over my words. She wasn’t bossy, she wasn’t harsh or overly-critical—everything about that was behind us in our high school days. And I couldn’t have been happier about that.

                “Hey, Weiss?” I spoke up, drawing a deep breath after calling out her name. I felt movement—though I didn’t look up from my weaving.

                “Yes?”

                “I’m really glad we’re together again.” I felt her tense—and I glanced over and watched her hands shoot up to cover her face in embarrassment.

                “You’re just saying that, don’t be an idiot.”

                “Nono, I mean it!” I smiled, putting the half-done crown aside and putting my arms over her shoulders. “I’m serious! I missed you. And I’ve been thinking about you a lot!”

                Weiss stayed quiet for a moment—and it kinda sparked some anxiety deep inside my soul, but when she spoke up—surprisingly meek—I immediately relaxed again. “I’ve… Been thinking about you, too, Ruby. I’ve missed you, too.”

                She had slowly put her arms around me while talking, finding a place to hide herself in the crook of my neck. We stayed like that, just for a few minutes, holding each other close and breathing in silence. Really relaxed, peaceful silence.

                I was the first to pull back, but only to adjust myself and rest my forehead against hers. “Weiss? Really random question, but it’s kinda important.”

                I braced for the worst reaction possible and took a deep breath. Two deep breaths. Three. I didn’t want to stutter or mess up when I asked her.

                “I know we’ve only been talking again for like, a day, and things are really, really different now—” _Oh god, all of my hopes failed me, and I'm butchering it._ “But like, I’ve kinda always loved you, and you’ve always been in the back of my mind and—”

                “Ruby—slow down. What?” Her eyes stayed open—wide, she looked shocked. Was she shocked? I couldn’t tell.

                I couldn’t help it. I didn’t want to screw up anymore, so I just had to blurt it out in the bluntest way possible. “Do you wanna be my girlfriend?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'know, Weiss didn't get a chance to ask. Ruby's just spittin' it out there before she even gets a chance.


	9. Chapter 9

                Her eyes were alive with anxiety, and her lips frozen in a semi-horrified-semi-hopeful grin. I knew what she was thinking right now, it was plastered all over her face—“What the hell did I just say?”

                I didn’t even know what my own expression was. Judging by the fact that tears were starting to well in her eyes, I was—

                Oh. I was silent. And I probably looked more confused than anything.

                “Sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything—“ She started to apologize, she had started to slowly move back—breaking our forehead-touch and creating a distance.

                “No.” I moved forward—a bit too fast, a bit too impulsively—and accidentally bumped our foreheads together a little bit too hard.

                We both cried out in pain immediately, and then after staring at each other for a few seconds, we had started to laugh.

                “Sorry, I just—you looked so pitiful, and that’s the last thing that I want—”

                “I only looked pitiful because I thought you were upset!”

                “Don’t be stupid, why would I ever be upse—can we just. Try that again?”

                I held my breath as she nodded—if I didn’t suck up my embarrassment, she might think that I was pissed, or something else. So I held my breath, and started to reach for her hands.

                “Weiss, your cheeks are kinda puffed out. Sorta like how you’d do when we were younger, and you’d be pouting or mad about something.”

                I exhaled—it was audible. Oh-so-audible. “Sorry.” By this point, I had taken her hands in my own, and held them close.

                I started again, still holding her hands as I rested my forehead against hers—brushing our noses together briefly. “I would love to be your girlfriend, Ruby. I want to have more dates. I want to be close to you—and your… What is she? Penny?”

                “My queerplatonic partner?”

                “What even is that?”

                “Think of like… Super exclusive best friends. In a strictly-platonic relationship.”

                “Oh.” I blinked. I tried to go through my memories—to think if I’ve ever felt anything similar to what she’s probably describing.

                Now… Wasn’t really the best time.

                “Her, too. Penny. I want to be close to you two…” I gave her hands a gentle squeeze, and I shut my eyes tightly. “I want you to know that I genuinely care about you, that I genuinely love you.”

                I felt her start to shake a bit when I had finished—but I only shut my eyes tighter. If I said something wrong, then I would just have to tough it out, apologize, and learn from it.

                It was only when she had started to sniffle that my eyes shot open. Despite the tears flowing down her face, she had the happiest, largest grin I had seen from anyone in so long.

                Did I really make her that happy? There’s no way.

                “I love you, too!” She beamed, managing to escape my hands to throw her arms around my neck—toppling me over with her weight in the process. “I love you, too, Weiss. I can’t wait for everything we do together.” Now she had rested her face against my neck, and honestly? I don’t think I’ve seen her so relaxed.

                She was still sniffling.

                I blinked—I knew she was always super emotional, but this was the last thing I expected to happen. I slowly moved my arms around her, holding her close.

                “Hey, Weiss? I don’t mean to kill the moment…” _She’s literally about to kill the moment,_ I thought to myself. “But our hands got really sweaty a few minutes ago. Can we just… Go wash them off in the fountain or something? And also I think you’ve got a leaf in your hair.”

                She plucked a leaf from the back of my head, flicking it aside before rising and gently tugging me up by the hand. She wiped her face off on the bottom of her shirt and beamed at me once more. “I’m really happy, Weiss. And I’ve never seen you smile that much, so I know that you are, too.”

 

                She was right. I was happy. I was happier than I’d ever been, I had started crying when I was driving her back to her town. We sang happy, sappy lovesongs that, when I was younger I would’ve hated, at the top of our lungs together. We took one last stop to watch the stars on the roof of my car, and then we went to her house.

                No more motels for me, she offered to let me live with her, if I wanted.

                And honestly? It didn’t feel right to decline.

 

                I woke up from my phone vibrating like there was no tomorrow on the dresser of our bed, and quickly made it shut up. I was sleepy—it was morning, and I hadn’t had my coffee. Ruby was still fast asleep—and snoring—next to me, and the morning light was filtering in through the window.

                I wasn’t about to wake Ruby up, so I idly scrolled through my phone and checked whatever made it go haywire—unsurprisingly, it was a message from Yang.

_I trust you, okay? I want to get to know you again, and so does Blake. So just be patient with us, and we’ll be patient with you. Got it?_

Okay with me already? That's a surprise. I smiled, sent back an "Understood.", and I laid back down next to the love of my life to sleep in for the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be honest, I didn't want Weiss confronting and asking about the qpp relationship to be a big thing? I realize that sometimes it is a big thing, but I wanted it to be a bit more of an "understand, respect, and grow as we go and Learn" kind of thing for Weiss.
> 
> Will I write on this specific work past this? I'm not really sure. I've kinda wanted to specifically write a spinoff for how Penny got in the situation that she's in, and I actually had a paragraph typed up from way back when I had first started this, but overall I'm not sure?
> 
> If it does get anything past this, though, then it's gonna be quick oneshots, maybe fluff-without-plot, visits from sidecharacters to this story.

**Author's Note:**

> Ahhh, I decided to upload it here, as well as on tumblr.
> 
> It's actually quite a shame, I started this back during highschool, and I stopped on it solely because of stress (which I still have a lot of). Nowadays, I don't even ship Ruby / Weiss, but I just wanted to finish writing it. So, expect this to be finished.


End file.
